LED TV and LCD TV : A Comparative Study
BY SOUMITRA, GAEA NEWS NETWORKWEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2009
After ourcomparison between Plasma TV and LCD TVs, today we’ll discuss about the latest buzzword in the Display Industry - LED TVs and how it compares with the traditional LCD TVs. The LED TVs which are being touted as better display to the traditional LCDs are actually using a new backlighting technology that improves the display of LCD TVs by producing better contrast and black levels combined with better power efficiency. Traditional LCD TVs use CCFL (Cold cathode Fluorescent Lamps - these use the same technology like the plain tube lights) to light the displays. The LCD panel in front of it subtracts lights from the white lights to produce various colors on the screen. This cheaper backlights are replaced with white LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) in case of LED TVs to make it more slim and gain some other advantages. Here is a comparison between them.Black Level / Contrast
LCD TV : The backlight is constantly lit in case of traditional TVs. The LCD panel has to block all those lights to make it pure black which is not always 100% efficient. This is why a powered on LCD TVs always show some whites on its screen that can be seen if observed from an angle to the display unit.
LED TV : In case of edge lit LCD TVs the backlights are placed at the edges which makes it slimmer without any additional advantages to produce better Black Levels or better contrasts. However, the LED matrix lit TVs do produce better contrast and black levels by using some sort of intelligent lighting technology. To show a dark scene, the LED behind any dark spot can be turned off to make it look even darker or almost 100% pure black. This is why matrix lit LED screens will produce better Black Levels and contrast ratios.
Conclusion : Edge Lit LED TVs win over traditional TVs with their sleek design and the matrix lit LED TVs win over traditional LCD screens by their better contrast and black level production capabilities.
LED TV : In case of edge lit LCD TVs the backlights are placed at the edges which makes it slimmer without any additional advantages to produce better Black Levels or better contrasts. However, the LED matrix lit TVs do produce better contrast and black levels by using some sort of intelligent lighting technology. To show a dark scene, the LED behind any dark spot can be turned off to make it look even darker or almost 100% pure black. This is why matrix lit LED screens will produce better Black Levels and contrast ratios.
Conclusion : Edge Lit LED TVs win over traditional TVs with their sleek design and the matrix lit LED TVs win over traditional LCD screens by their better contrast and black level production capabilities.
Refresh Rate / Response Time
Refresh Rate and Response Times are properties of LCD Panel and nothing to do with the backlighting.
Conclusion : No one wins. It’s a tie.
Conclusion : No one wins. It’s a tie.
Longevity
LCD TVs : Though manufacturers claim that the life of an LCD TV will be 100,000 hours but they actually starts to show degradation in color hue after 20,000 hours.
LED TVs : There is won’t be much degradation in the lighting capabilities of the LED over time. The life expectancy of the LEDs are also not less than the LCD Panels.
Conclusion : LED TV wins for better display quality in the long run.
Weight
LCD TVs : The traditional LCD TVs with CCFL can be as much weighty as the plasma TVs.
LED TVs : The LED TVs are less weighty than LCD TVs and they are much more robust due to their architecture.
Conclusion : LED TVs win over the LCD TVs here.
Viewing Angle
Viewing angle is a property of the LCD Panel and has nothing to do with the backlighting technology.
Conclusion : No one wins here either.
Conclusion : No one wins here either.
Color Accuracy
LCD TV : Color Reproduction capability depends solely on the LCD Panel.
LED TV : Normal white backlighting LED displays have no special advantages but the tri color backlit LCD TVs, as in Sony X Series TVs, can change the backlighting colors according to the need of the scene. This can produce more accurate colors.
Conclusion : White backlighting LED TVs does not have an advantageous position but the tri color backlighting LED TVs are surely a winner.
LED TV : Normal white backlighting LED displays have no special advantages but the tri color backlit LCD TVs, as in Sony X Series TVs, can change the backlighting colors according to the need of the scene. This can produce more accurate colors.
Conclusion : White backlighting LED TVs does not have an advantageous position but the tri color backlighting LED TVs are surely a winner.
Power Consumption
LCD TV : The main power is utilized by the CCFL Panels to light the screen.
LED TV : The power utilized by LEDs are at least 40% less than CCFL lighting.
Conclusion : LED TVs are the future as they use lesser power and no mercury used in the lights which will please the environmentalists.
LED TV : The power utilized by LEDs are at least 40% less than CCFL lighting.
Conclusion : LED TVs are the future as they use lesser power and no mercury used in the lights which will please the environmentalists.
Price
LCD TV : The LCD TVs are produced in much larger number than the LED TVs, so they have a price advantage.
LED TV : These TVs are sometimes twice more costlier than the traditional TVs.
Conclusion : The LED TVs have a price toll for their better picture quality.
LED TV : These TVs are sometimes twice more costlier than the traditional TVs.
Conclusion : The LED TVs have a price toll for their better picture quality.
Verdict
At the end of the day, we can say that the LED TVs can produce better picture quality than the traditional TVs but their price makes us think twice before purchasing one of them. However, the LED TVs are being adopted by all manufacturers and soon we can expect them to be nearly same priced as those traditional LCD TVs or just a little more priced than them. To conclude in a few words, go for the LED TVs if the price seem reasonable to you.
